The numbers, prosecutors said, showed a dangerous pattern: 11 DUI convictions and at least five more driving convictions amended from DUI.

They said jail time was the only way to keep Dwight David Benson from killing someone else when he's drunk behind the wheel and habitually driving without a license.

At a Seattle Municipal Court sentencing Thursday, his defense painted another picture.

Benson served three decades in the Navy and did three tours of Vietnam. In 2001, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder -- a problem that went untreated for years. His attorney said he needs to continue mental health and chemical dependency treatment through the Department of Veterans Affairs, which also provides an income.

"He isn't victimizing our community," said the attorney, Ted Barr, who later claimed Benson was a victim. "He drives without a license and has a problem with drinking."

Benson's pastor, James E. Crockett, made similar statements, saying Benson's criminal behavior is much different than raping or murdering someone.

But Judge Edsonya Charles, a self-described military brat, said Benson shouldn't be given special consideration because of his military service, and noted he took steps toward current treatment options only when forced to by the court.

"The fact that you haven't hurt someone else or yourself is miraculous," she told Benson. "You've never taken responsibility for your actions."

Charles sentenced Benson to a year in jail for DUI and another year for driving with a suspended license -- sentences to be served consecutively. Those sentences stemmed from a case filed in 2007.

In a separate case also heard Thursday, Judge Ron Mamiya also sentenced Benson to a year in jail for a 2009 DUI case. Mamiya suspended jail time on charges of hit and run and driving with a suspended license.

Fees and other penalties also were included in both cases.

Even though Benson's first DUI case was in 1984, the two DUI cases he was sentenced for Thursday were gross misdemeanors.

According to Washington law, a person such as Benson charged solely for DUI -- not a case of vehicular assault -- can be charged with a Class C felony only if the individual has four or more prior offenses within 10 years.

Christina Jackson-Davis, who worked with Benson through Veterans Affairs, testified that his financial benefits would be cut if incarcerated, and the best option for treatment of Benson's chemical dependency and post-traumatic stress would be to remain in treatment.

"Not all veterans need incarceration," she said.

Assistant City Attorney Lorna Staten Sylvester, in an effort against Benson's request to stay out of jail for treatment, read his record in detail and said he failed when given treatment as part of previous sentences.

Court documents show Benson had two DUI convictions in the 1980s, six in the 1990s and three since 2000. Those numbers do not include DUI arrests without convictions.

Barr, who was hired for Benson's sentencing, told the court the 61-year-old defendant was "100 percent disabled." With the average life expectancy for men such as him, Barr argued, the prosecutors' recommended four-year combined jail sentences in both cases would be "a death sentence."

Barr said Benson needed hope, and said people who don't have that are the most likely to reoffend. Violent crimes come out of frustration, he said, while making references to hopeless people "shooting up" post offices.

Crockett, the pastor to Benson since 2005, offered to stay with him around the clock and call 911 if Benson ever slipped. A retired Air Force member and two-year Vietnam veteran, Crockett also praised Benson's long military career.

Pausing for emotion in the case heard by Charles, Assistant City Attorney Jason Logan -- himself a combat veteran -- said he wholeheartedly disagreed with the defense highlighting Benson's military service.

"If Mr. Benson wants to sit in his apartment and drink himself to death, that's his business," Logan said.

"But once he gets behind the wheel of a car, it's a public safety issue."